What nobody wants to talk about: Managing the unknown

Incorporating students actively within educational development projects is a worthy goal – however, the current rules and regulations in the German Higher Education System are not designed to facilitate student participation. The main task for students is their studies. For this objective, they are rewarded with credit points which result - in summary - in a degree. What is their reward for participating in quality assurance and further development of teaching and learning? How is their time and effort compensated? How does the system university support student inclusion in projects?

In the educational development project Digital Teaching and Learning Lab (DigiTeLL), student groups are eligible to submit project proposals for innovative Learning Designs. However, their chance of success is not equal to that of the professionals. Even during the proposal design phase, they are at a disadvantage. While there is a peer support system for university professionals, no such system exists for students – or at least, most students are unaware of the support structures universities offer for their educational staff. The disadvantages do not end here, students have to do all the work during their free time, after their “job” or jobs. Should they, against all odds be successful, further issues may arise.
The lightning talk “What nobody wants to talk about: Managing the unknown” will showcase some of these possible issues using students projects within DigiTeLL as an example. We will outline the problems and how we attempted to manage the unknown, i.e. tried to solve or rather patch up these issues. The talk will additionally address the systemic changes needed to make student participation in educational projects more than just lip service.
After the presentation, there will be room, to share experiences and discuss solutions, other participants may have found.